Theory of Imprinting 101
by Niamh Cyneburg
Summary: "Ok," Sam said. "Tell me all about how you knew I wasn't crazy when I told you we were meant to be." "Oh I definitely thought you were crazy. There you were, having just dumped my cousin... my sister really, and now you were following me around proclaiming eternal devotion and telling me you'd die if I left... of course I thought you were crazy." Emily takes a brand new class!


**AN**: _It's been a while I know, so please do accept my apologies_.

For those of you who have read Howling At The Moon, this chapter falls between Chapters 14 & 15. For those of you who havn't read HATM, why havn't you? :P

**Theory of Imprinting 101**

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"I'm telling you Sam, you can laugh all you want, or ignore what is so obvious, but the wolves aren't the only ones who feel something when you guys imprint," Emily stated calmly, watching Sam as he stared out their bedroom window.  
He had just returned from his usual patrol with Ryan, only to have to stop halfway through and send Ryan home, because he had been so distracted.  
"I'm not laughing Emi," he sighed, turning to face her, "I just don't know how it's even possible."  
She raised an eyebrow, making sure he saw the full extent of her disbelief. "You can change into a giant wolf at will, fight vampires, know who your soulmate is at one glance," she paused for effect, "and the one thing you can't grasp is that said soulmate might feel the pull too?"

He couldn't hold back a chuckle at that. Looking in her eyes, he could see the force of her own belief in her theory, and he couldn't help but admire her determination to prove it.  
"Ok," he said. "Lay it on me... Tell me all about how you knew I wasn't crazy when I told you we were meant to be," he said, drawing her into his arms as he spoke. Leaning back against the headboard, he rested his chin on her head and prepared to listen.  
"Oh I definitely thought you were crazy. There you were, having just dumped my cousin... my sister really, and now you were following me around proclaiming eternal devotion and telling me you'd die if I left... of course I thought you were crazy."  
Leaning her head against his chest, she felt the rumble of his deep laughter. Smiling a little, she proceeded with her explanation. "You said you felt this kind of snap when you looked in my eyes... a shift... right?" she questioned.

Nodding, he recalled with great clarity, the exact way his priorities had simply shifted. He had been struggling with his transformation, only learning what he was after a terrifying week of being an over-sized monster. It took him that long to calm down enough to turn back, and about the same amount of time to start believing what Billy and old Quil told him.  
His brain kept interrupting their explanations to tell him that he was just losing his mind. That there was no other explanation, no legends, no cold ones. Just insanity. Then he had looked right into Emily's eyes and it didn't even matter any more.  
None of it did.

Pulling himself back to the present, he concentrated on what she was telling him. "You remember how I avoided you that week?" she asked, and he winced. "After we spoke that first time, and you said that I was it for you," she continued, hurrying over this part, knowing how hard it was for him to recall those days. Swallowing he replied, "You said you wanted nothing to do with the person who hurt Leah so much."  
"Yes," she replied, "and then I tried staying away from you as much as I could, but it wasn't working. I would wake up and find I had sleep walked to the front door. I had nightmares, about horrible things about to happen to me, and you would save me, but only to get hurt instead of me. It's like you were taking my place."  
He sat up to look her in the eye, "You never told me that Emi," she sighed and went on.  
"We had bigger things to worry about than nightmares then. By the end of a week, I was exhausted, I hadn't slept, I had completely lost my appetite, and I felt like it had all started the first time I met you"  
Taking another deep breath, she continued, "That day... the first time I saw you phase..."  
"You mean when I hurt you," he interrupted bitterly, stroking his hand down the side of her face.  
"That day," she carried on as if he had never interrupted, I was on my way to the car to leave for Makah." She ignored his panicked expression. "I had decided to leave and never come back until I felt that this whole thing had ended. I wanted to stop feeling that way about you. But you know what happened."  
He simply nodded, too shocked to speak.

She had planned to leave forever?

Raising her palm to his cheek she reassured him, "I would have left, sure, but I doubt I would have been able to stay away. Just listen to the rest of what I have to say, OK?"  
Without waiting for him to reply she started ticking off points on her finger.  
"One, for the entire time I avoided you, or we were apart, I had nightmares. Maybe mine were worse because I was so angry, but they happened during that separation. Two, I started feeling sick, nothing definite, but just a general feeling of being sniffly, just not 100 percent. Three, In all my nightmares, I was always saved by you, but you always got hurt in my place, it bothered me. Why would you sacrifice yourself for me?"  
She held up her hand to prevent him interrupting. "Four, the entire time you were nearby, I felt better. I knew whenever you were camped out in the hallway of the hospital. I knew you didn't come inside my room when Leah was there, but even though I was barely conscious, I knew when you were there, and I felt better."  
Still dumbstruck, Sam just nodded at her, feeling a dawning in his mind. Realizing he was finally understanding the point she was trying to make, she smiled softly, "You see what I mean about Michelle now right? She's feeling the pull already. It's not as strong yet, probably because they're still young, and the situation is so different from ours. But she isn't feeling well quite constantly whenever Ryan is still in La Push, and always feels better when he's camped out in Seattle. She might not be having nightmares, but that could just be because they are friends, and maybe heading to something more, and they're not angry with each other like we were."  
Sam nodded and then walked to the window, leaning on it again and taking a deep breath. "I'm pretty sure you're right Emi, everything I keep seeing in Ryan's head fits in with what you just said, and it's driving the kid crazy thinking his imprint is sick, and he has no idea what to do about it."  
"Maybe I could talk to him tomorrow," she ventured, "just put his mind at ease."  
"I think that would be perfect babe. Thank you. I love you." He punctuated that last line with a tiny kiss to her forehead before leaning down to claim her lips.

Smiling to herself, she kissed him back, knowing in her heart that this kind of love was truly special.

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I promise I will be updating more often now, so please do review and let me know if you liked my peace offering or not. Ryan and Michelle's story will be updated super soon as well!


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